Offshore Sailing School offers three levels of live aboard cruising instruction:

Level I	Live Aboard Cruising
Level II	Advanced Live Aboard Coastal Navigation
Level III	Coastal Passage Making

Depending on your cruising goals, you may be satisfied with just level I or go on to II and III. Here's a brief synopsis of how they differ to help you make the right choice:

BOAT SYSTEMS

I. The Live Aboard Cruising course introduces students to the types of systems found on cruising boats. You learn how to operate all of these systems in the context of a bareboat charter.

II. Advanced Live Aboard Coastal Navigation assumes that you are familiar with common boat systems, and gives you a different perspective on what happens in a multihull cruising boat. This experience helps you become more self-sufficient in dealing with minor breakdowns that can occur on a bareboat catamaran charter.

III. In the Coastal Passage Making course, you gain experience operating boat systems in situations where the boat is at sea for extended periods.

SAILING

I. Live Aboard Cruising assumes you know sailing basics but have not applied these to sailing a cruising yacht. You are given time and instruction to develop your skills in sailing either a monohull or catamaran with particular attention paid to that boat type’s specific handling characteristics in a safe and efficient manner. You will be able to command and operate the boat in a normal bareboat cruising environment.

II. Advanced Live Aboard Coastal Navigation has strong emphasis on developing your comprehensive navigation skills, so be prepared to spend considerable time in this area. It also teaches you how to specifically handle a cruising catamaran in various weather conditions.

III. The Coastal Passage Making course is Offshore Sailing School's most advanced offering. It is expected that you have the basics of cruising and are ready to learn to apply these skills in sailing the boat day and night on the open sea. You gain invaluable experience in sailing at night and standing watches. Coastal Navigation is required to receive certification, but may be taken later.

SAFETY

I. There are many new safety considerations when a sailor steps up from day sailor to cruiser. Because everything on a cruising sailboat is bigger and more powerful than on a daysailer, there is increased opportunity for damage to property and crew. The Live Aboard Cruising course teaches students correct techniques and boat awareness to facilitate safe operation of bigger boats.

II. Safety aboard is of paramount importance while cruising. You will refresh your skills in using an emergency tiller, doing fire drills, reviewing grounding solutions, reefing, heaving-to, overboard recovery, towing a dinghy and rigging a boom preventer – all with emphasis on applications as they relate to a catamaran.

III. Sailing a boat in open water in daylight and darkness requires skill and knowledge. Coastal Passage Making develops both. Learn about safe onboard practices for sailing at night in the ocean. Jacklines and harnesses are used when offshore. Learn to identify and analyze shipping traffic at night. Reefing and overboard recovery are practiced at night until proficiency is attained.

NAVIGATION

I. Learn to Sail students and day sailors may not have practical experience in navigating a boat beyond a local sailing area. The Live Aboard Cruising course gives you the skills to sail a cruising boat in sight of land. You will be able to:

A. Read a chart, lay out a course line, calculate distances and locate your position. Using GPS (Global Positioning System) and LOP (Line of Position) – lines drawn on a chart based on compass direction from a known object – you learn to locate the boat's position where two (preferably three) lines intersect.

B. You learn to determine your ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival). Speed x Time = Distance is the formula used to calculate when you will arrive at a destination, taking into consideration how fast you must go to get there in time.

C. Set up and maintain a Ship's Log - a formal record of the events that influence a boat's position and situation underway.

II. The Advanced Live Aboard Coastal Navigation course includes the comprehensive US SAILING Coastal Navigation course, normally taught over four full days in a classroom ashore. By combining Coastal Navigation certification with advanced aspects of sailing a cruising catamaran, you gain complete confidence in chartering or cruising anywhere you want.

III. Ideally you enter the Coastal Passage Making course having had the land based Coastal Navigation course or Advanced Live Aboard Coastal Navigation course. You are then able to apply advanced navigation practices in a real world situation under the guidance of experienced professional navigators. You must have already passed the US SAILING Coastal Navigation Certification level if you wish to obtain US SAILING Coastal Passage Making Certification.

ANCHORING

I. In Live Aboard Cruising you are introduced to and gain proficiency in anchoring a cruising sailboat. Particular emphasis is put on safe handling of the anchor windlass. You learn how to set two bow anchors. You learn about efficient communication between the bow and helm when anchoring. You develop the ability to choose a suitable anchoring spot in a given anchorage, evaluate the set of the anchor(s) and proximity to other boats and hazards after anchoring.

II. The Advanced Live Aboard Coastal Navigation course gives you the proper skills for anchoring a catamaran, including use of triplines, sentinels, setting two bow anchors, bow and stern anchors, bow tied to shore, and sailing on and off the anchor.

III. Coastal Passage Making does not have a strong emphasis on anchoring. You may anchor when in port and have an opportunity to practice anchoring in darkness.

DOCKING

I. In Live Aboard Cruising, you learn how to bring a cruising boat alongside a dock in a safe and competent manner. You learn about prop walk, spring lines and fender handling, and develop a feel for handling a large cruising auxiliary yacht in close quarters around docks and other boats.

II. The Advanced Live Aboard Coastal Navigation course covers the nuances of docking a catamaran, including larger space requirements, windage considerations and Med-Moor techniques (backing into a slip or to a sea wall with the bow held out by a bow anchor).

III. Docking is not emphasized in the Coastal Passage Making course, though there is opportunity to practice Med-Moor docking in some locations.